


Burning Hooves

by Hati



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Angst, Faun Rin, Gen, Headcanon where Rin's demon form is a faun, Mature rating in case I fancy putting some more blood, Mountains and forests, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, demon awakening, you never know eh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-24 01:30:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7488081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hati/pseuds/Hati
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After arriving in some remote mountain for a mission, Rin, Ryuuji and Shiemi fall into an ominous forest - but, worse than that, Rin has been separated from the others. While his flames are out and burning, Kurikara is nowhere to be seen and he hardly even gets the time to notice the drastic changes to his body. He is not alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Other Side

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kind of in a writing frenzy right now so new chapters could actually be released pretty quickly. Mayhap.  
> What you have in front of your respectable and respected eyes is my first fanfiction ever, which will be long, have pompous vocabulary and sentences because heck do I like that, and probably many chapters. I know exactly where I'm going tho.  
> The only thing I don't know is what to put in the tags haha *dies*  
> Anyway, enjoy!~  
> (more based on the manga than the anime)

It was quite the run-down temple that stood, on a cold evening of early September, before a tiny shivering group of exorcists - while the sky was clear, the sun had already set and taken any hope of some warming rays away. Surrounded by woods, remote from all the numerous villages scattered -though never really far from each other- on the south-facing slope of the mountain, were a group of temples, each seemingly older than the one next to it. The timber was obvious under the cracked varnish, whose red had already been half washed away by time. Still, of all the ancient buildings the exorcists had had time to see, it so happened that it was the most damaged one that they were supposed to sleep into.  
It was not that it had ivy creeping around its round pillars or up its wooden walls, though its roof had the thickest layer of moss they had ever seen; it did not have collapsed ceilings either, or at least, not yet; the parquet floor however, they had soon noticed how it was a whole different story altogether, full of holes and traps, some nails even protruding out. It made them even more uncomfortable knowing that one was not supposed to walk with shoes in a temple.  
Careful as to where he put his feet on, one bespectacled man split with the group and went up the few stairs that were at the entrance of the temple. Reluctant to walk any further with the menace that the nails represented, he proceeded to announce their arrival, under the worried look of the others.  
‘Hello? We’re the exorcists from the True Cross Academy!’ he shouted and waited for an answer or for someone to come, only neither happened.

‘Hey Okumura-sensei, are you absolutely positive that we’re at the good place? I mean they knew we were coming right?’ a pink-haired boy half-asked, half-complained.

The teacher did not answer at first, only frowning slightly. Another student answered for him.

‘Yukio’s not wrong, I’ve read the damn mission letter too’, groaned a boy who carried a sword on his back, ‘and yeah, it’s supposed to be here and they’re _supposed to know_ , so they better hurry up and come already.’  
‘It’s as nii-san… er, it’s as Rin said’, Yukio corrected himself. He was not supposed to call his twin brother like that when on duty, since Rin, as the others, was a student, while he was their teacher; however, irritation had that rare capacity of bringing one’s habits back right away.

‘Eeh’, the pink-haired boy said as a reply, feigning a face of utter annoyance. He then moved towards a girl and, without warning, pressed his head against her shoulder. ‘Shiemi-chan, I’m cooold, help me! We should do like the penguins do, you kno- bwarg!’  
A boy with hair that was brown on the sides and golden at the middle had punched him. The girl yelped in surprise.

‘Blest the day when thy evil thoughts leave thee, Shima’, he said in a menacing and dramatic tone, though very content of himself.  
‘What evil thoughts, I’m reasoning in a very practical way here. That’s Mother Nature establishing high-functioning survival tactics for you, Bon.’  
‘Only forcing them on Shiemi, who’s way too shy to tell you off, is not something that you’ll do, not under our watch’, he commented back.  
‘Our?’  
‘Satan’s son’s watching you too’, he explained, pointing Rin with his chin.  
‘I’m watching you too’, Rin confirmed with an evil grin, his tail making slow motions behind him, in a threatening way.  
‘Ryuuji Suguro-kun, you are every bit as devilish as our dearest half-demon’, Shima sighed, even though the shadow of a smile was playing on his lips.

‘Oh, uh, thank you, Suguro-kun, but you did not have to punch him…’ Shiemi sheepishly said and then apologized to Shima, who laughed it off, telling her all was fine. ‘And it looks like someone is finally coming!’ Shiemi exclaimed, clapping her hands together, keen to change the topic - though she was actually grateful to Ryuuji and Rin, she also felt a bit guilty toward Shima. She thought, as often she did, that she really had to learn to speak for herself.

A monk was indeed walking towards them - though it would be more accurate to say that he jumped, deftly hopping from one creaking board to another, his eyes riveted on the protruding bits of metal that trapped the way. When he finally got near Yukio, he politely bowed and apologized for his lateness; he then led them inside the temple.  
He explained them, in a very affable tone, how some of the temples had been invaded by swarms of Coal Tars, and by other small but tenacious demons he had actually never learnt to recognize. Since the higher monks had decided not to suspend any activity, they had to move to temples spared by the invasion, thence only leaving this one, the most damaged indeed, for the exorcists to sleep into.

‘But’, he told them a bit hastily, stepping across a wide gap in the floor, ‘I’m pretty sure you won’t sleep too badly. Just be careful of the nails… Here are your rooms, we’ll bring you dinner later, we’ll lead you to the infested temples tomorrow, bye miss, sirs!’

He then started to run away before they could ask him anything, but suddenly made a dead stop. ‘Ah, before I forget! The view is nice and you can walk around at your leisure’, he said and suddenly turned serious, ‘but avoid the other side of the mountain. The forest of the other side. None is to go inside that forest. Even we never do, it’s an old rule we have always respected, so please refrain. Then bye!’

And with that he was gone, leaving the speechless exorcists behind.

‘Then I bid you farewell, my comrades’, Shima said in a tragic tone ‘for tonight I shall die because of some stupid nails.’  
They said nothing but silently approved.

*********

After having put their equipment in their rooms and having eaten dinner, the students were given some free time by their teacher. ‘I need to get rid of the nails before we go to sleep anyway’ he muttered when he dismissed them. They all answered with a ‘thank you, Okumura-sensei!’ while Rin just told his brother not to get jabbed.

Once outside, the four students took a while to look at their surroundings. A jagged horizon stood out on the celestial, starry vault. They already knew they were in a mountain range - the winding roads with scree from steep cliffs on one side, a void of a few hundreds meters on the other, had already taught them so much. However, it was baffling to see how absolutely isolated the villages were, for no matter how far they projected their look, no matter how much they strained their eyes to catch anything, any light at all, be it the faintest of all, they soon had to conclude that there were only so much inhabitants in there, and that they were all gathered on one mountain, which was both a good and a bad thing in itself. In case of trouble, they could easily seek help in another village. In case of big, life-threatening trouble however, such as a landslide, they would be sure to either be completely killed and wiped away, or simply left with no place to go to. Nevertheless, the young exorcists had been told the villages had been here for quite the number of centuries, so they guessed the inhabitants had not seen this peculiar scenario happen too often.  
Be it as it may, it was a surprisingly active place. The villages were not exactly that small, on the contrary, and there was no hamlet that would not have its own collection of temples. How such a remote place managed to be this active was beyond them.

Looking at the sky, Rin sighed that because of the light from the many temples, discreet but still here, he could not see the Milky Way. Shiemi nodded while Shima went further, saying how it was even better when seen in altitude and with no moon out - how they basically could have had the perfect setting. It only made the two sigh deeper.  
‘What, do you want to go at the top and watch?’ Ryuuji said, a bit bluntly. He reflexively took a step back when two heads suddenly turned towards him, two pairs of puppy eyes sending sparkly sparkles everywhere.  
‘You think we could?!’ an excited Rin asked him, his tail swishing through the air like crazy. Shiemi was in a similar state, only without the tail.  
‘Well sure, we could climb a bit higher, maybe not to the top since it’s quite late already but…’  
‘You’d come with us?’ Shiemi reacted to his use of the first person with a small voice, yet almost in a pleading manner.  
Ryuuji nodded, telling them it would be interesting to have a broader view of the mountains. He then turned to Shima, who had already raised his hands in a ‘no thanks’ gesture.  
‘Nope, I’ve already seen all of that on postage stamps, that’s enough for me!’  
‘Lazy ass.’  
‘I will tell the teacher you’ll be coming back late’ Shima offered, ignoring the comment.

Shiemi thanked him and Ryuuji only huffed. They then ran to catch up with Rin, who had already disappeared into the woods.

*********

It took them a while to reach a respectable height. As there was no moon to bestow them helpful rays of light, they actually had to ask Rin to unsheathe his sword, allowing him to regain his primary demonic features: longer ears and sharper fangs, shining blue eyes, and most importantly, blue flames dancing on his slender frame. During all of their ascent, he led the way - he had better night vision than they did, and the blue flames burning at the tip of his long tail and on his head, as if they were two flaming horns, could illumine the way a bit; only by doing so they got their own private escort of fascinated moth and risked the ire of their teacher, if he ever learnt how they used Rin’s demonic flames in an area where it was not unlikely to encounter civilians. In an unspoken mutual accord they decided he would never know of this.  
While they went through some clearings, making both Shiemi and Rin gasp with awe at sky that was always looking more beautiful and starry, Ryuuji had not been able to get a good look at the mountains. The tall trees were preventing him to do so, and it seemed to him that the higher they climbed, the thicker the woods were getting; at the same time, they could see more and more ledges and outcrops of rocks. They were now seldom walking, or at least, standing straight; they were more often scrambling fumblingly over the rocks. It was easier for Rin to hold his balance, since he could use his tail, and he often had to help the two others clamber up; his only issue would be with finding good foot-holds, on which he would not skid. However, whatever trouble Rin encountered was several times worse for the two others, especially Shiemi, who was not really used to physical effort. The half-demon even had to make use of his tremendous strength and endurance several times, carrying his companions and lifting them to places they would not have been able to reach otherwise, because of the poor vision they had and the exhaustion that was winning them over. They finally reached a flat spot of ground, that was surrounded by prodigious mineral formations.

Several columns of rocks, surmounted by great boulders, were towering them. Impressed, Shiemi whispered that they were fairy chimneys, which she had never seen for real in her whole life; she merrily scampered towards one, which she very carefully touched, desirous to remember any last detail of it, in an absolute fascination of the pillar. The two boys looked at her with a perplexed look, which she saw. She chuckled, somewhat embarrassed, and explained to them that they were geological formations that took about centuries and a considerable amount of luck to form. When a stone that could not be easily eroded stood on softer grounds, it would protect the ground from erosion, hence leading to a pillar topped by a harder stone. She suddenly stopped her scientific babble, a look of disconcertion on her face.  
‘But how could they have formed in a mountain?...’ she pondered.  
Lucky would Rin and Ryuuji be if they knew the answer. They just gaped at her, both as stunned as the other at her sudden display of geological knowledge. They could just think how it was not only flowers that she was well-informed -if not frankly erudite- about.  
‘W-Well’, Rin began to say, quite reluctant to cut her sudden impetus of talkativeness, but needing a change of topic as this one was a bit too scientific and was knocking him out, ‘how about we just take that opportunity to rest and admire the view? So far Ryuuji could not see anything.’  
‘Oh right! There aren’t many trees around. Here Suguro-kun, I think it will be better’, she pointed out and he moved accordingly, indeed appreciating a better view of the range from the spot she had indicated.

They stayed here for a while, leant against the pillars.

Before anyone could say anything about turning back, a screeching flutter of razor-sharp wings fell on them. Their screams drowned in the acute shrilling of the indistinct shape; its feathers shallowly cut lifted arms and defenseless torsos. Suddenly, something blue flashed into the night and the gigantic bird flew away, letting a strident shriek of protest out. They all had to protect their ears, momentarily deafened as the vibrations drowned their lungs and they just about suffocated from it, struggling to keep control over their bodies. The world grew quieter as they had not yet recovered, and Ryuuji’s warning shout was muffled and understood by the others a second too late. Shiemi barely dodged, but Rin got fully hit by a iron-like fan of rectrices. He flew. He landed hard on his back, blacking out for a fraction of second. He lost the sheath; hardly managed not to let his sword slip away too.

When he got back to his feet, Shiemi and Ryuuji were a few feet away, looking at the bird with sheer horror. It had landed on the boulder of one pillar, dangerously shaking it.

The bird screeched and heavily pushed the huge stone with its talons, wings sending violent gusts of wind. Eventually the stone tilted to the side, making the pillar shake protestingly, while cracks snaked through it - until a breaking sound arose and suddenly the massive shape of the stone grew bigger. In an unanimous reflex they ran and jumped away. The stone hit the ground with terrible strength. The whole frame of the mountain seemed to shake under the shock.

‘Wha-!’

Before they could utter a single thing, the bird was already on them and, using the momentum, violently crashed its talon on Ryuuji, knocking him out, then hit Shiemi away with its beak. It jumped over the crashed boulder. With its other talon it seized Rin at the chest, then it spread its wings and flew off. A black veil fell on Rin’s view and he fainted, losing track of Shiemi yelling his name.

*********

The bird had skirred away and vanished into the unfathomable depths of the night, smothering the gleam of Rin’s blue flames and sword. A sinister and heavy curtain of silence fell upon the place, suffocating as realization of what happened slowly dawned. Getting back to consciousness, Ryuuji made a light moan and knelt up, brushing his head, still a bit giddy from the shock; he clumsily probed the ground. Neither of the two could see a thing in the surrounding darkness, nor hear a sound, apart from the soft rustle that their clothes made as they moved. The flickering light of the sneering stars above did not provide them any landmark, lost as they were in a world of ominous pitch blackness, in a state of fearful paralysis, trapped between the loud thumping of their hearts, their hesitant breaths, the dryness in their mouths and the cold rugged stones beneath them.  
‘Where’s Rin?’ Ryuuji asked, worried; even if the navy-blue haired boy had been knocked out as he had, his flames should have still been out, but there was no blue light to be seen.

Shiemi remained silent for a while, gathering her words.  
‘The bird grabbed him after you fainted. It also took Kurikara in its beak.’ Her voice was shaking. ‘B-but I lost them, they flew down a-and I c-couldn’t-’ She broke into uncontrollable sobs, struggling to finish her sentence, struggling against her distorted mouth. ‘Couldn’t see t-them b-but they…’ She pointed the direction in which they had gone, tears running down on her bruised cheeks.

‘But?’ He encouraged - he could not see her pointing.

‘W-went to *sob* th’other *sob* s-s-side’ and with that she said no more, only Ryuuji was fairly sure she was crying; he cautiously tried to move towards the approximate direction of her voice and stumbled upon a warm curled shape - he put his arm around her and tried to calm her down. And calm himself in the same time - panick menaced too, as he perfectly knew that they neither had the time nor the capacity to go back warn Yukio, and chasing the bird while they could not see a thing was suicidal. They were trapped. Trapped by the night, the mountain, everything. He was intensely thinking, yet his mind was void in the same time.

Screech.

They jerked their heads up, violently tensing up.

Another screech, nearer.

Shiemi dug her nails into Ryuuji’s arms. He cursed and he grabbed Shiemi; she stood up. As one they ran towards the trees. Behind them, a hysteric sound of flutter resonated. They hit a trunk, then another, cursing. Branches scratched them. Behind them echoed the terrifying rumble of torn wood. Roots grabbed them but they desperately propulsed themselves with their arms. Behind them, the ground was shredded and sent flying. All at once a cold breath reached them and something smacked them from behind.  
They flew and rolled on themselves. Suddenly they were out of the woods and, during a fraction of second that felt like a torturing eternity to them, suspended in mid-air, branches and feathers flying around, a shimmering beak wide open to snatch them on one side, a sudden leap in the relief on the other side, they felt at the edge of the world.

They began to fall.

The beak chattered sharply near their faces. Shiemi invoked her Greenman familiar and shouted something. A chaos of gigantic leaves and cotton bolls surged from the familiar and whizzed around; it cushioned their hitting the ground, but the bird was now diving on them; through many kicks and panicked yelps, the two exorcists managed to extricate themselves from the tangled mess of plants before sharpened claws ripped it apart; with the power of terror, they broke into an all-or-nothing run.  
They were hurtling down a rocky slope.  
Shiemi hollered another thing - ‘Nii-chan, we need una-una-kun!’ - and massive roots were appearing and slashing into the ground as they kept running; only they were running right towards another sure fall.

‘MORIYAMA’, Ryuuji yelled, ‘THERE’S NOTHING THERE!’

‘I KNOW!’ she shouted back, roots still plunging into the ground, leaving a track of turned-over stones and ground.

They reached the edge.

‘YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?’

‘POSITIVE!’

And with that they jumped, the massive aggregate of feathers behind them.  
Shiemi shouted a ‘RELEASE!’ at her familiar. With deafening cracking, the roots whooshed back, dragging rocks with them, while the Greenman sent ivy around the humans to stop their falling.  
As Ryuuji and Shiemi described an arc in the air, ivy-rope tied somewhere up the cliff, making them violently hit the wall, the bird was caught under falling stones; they saw its tall wings get torn apart and it fell down, shrieking with pain and terror.  
The bird was gone. Shiemi actually managed to kill it; only, as Ryuuji could tell from her very pale cheeks and wheezing, eyelids fluttering, she had overexerted herself. Without warning, the Greenman disappeared with a pop and the ivy around them vanished. They fell into the trees.

*********

The stars shone weakly, through the opaque smother of trees and against the mesmerizing light of lambent blue flames. Tall conifers extended their spiky branches in all directions; billions of pine needles flickered under a soft breeze, their sheen dancing above the half-demon’s laying body. With a grunt he tilted his head to the side, hearing some bones crack at the sudden movement. He spat some pine needles, nose scrunched at the foul, bitter taste. And it was sticky with resin.  
‘Bleah.’  
Rin suddenly realized one dreadful thing - he did not have Kurikara with him. He got up on his elbows and frantically searched for his sword, only he could not see its shimmering blade anywhere. Instead, he noticed something else.

Weird, black shapeless creatures were surrounding him, many pairs of ominous-looking eyes locked onto him. One moved forward and he reflexively lifted a hand, both as a protection and a warning. To Rin’s surprise, the shadow dropped its gaze, bowed its head and spoke.

'O son of the infamous King of Gehenna, Rin Okumura, ninth Prince of Gehenna’, its hissing voice filled the forest and the demon slithered nearer, eyes still riveted on the ground, ‘you whose strong hooves burn the filthy ground, you whose sharp fur has the deep reflection of the most powerful fire, and whose young body displays the proud cloak of the blue flames; your incendiary horns are proof of your might, and your gleaming eyes are proof of your formidable ancestry.  
Upon the divine blood that flows through your veins, we mere shadows lurking in these forests, kin of no King, we beseech you, allow us to serve you.'

The shadows were kneeling before him, as much as their grotesque, limb-deprived body allowed them to. At least, they _seemed_ to be kneeling.

Rin was completely taken aback and dumbly looked at them, mouth agape. He had just woken up and some powerful-looking shadowy demons were talking to him with an awful load of respect and -realization came to him like a big, cold shock- they just basically asked him to be their boss.

'Wh-what?' he finally let out in a dumbfounded shrill tone, panic rising - he did not know what he was doing here or how he had gotten here. He had literally no memory of what had happened. He could not see Kurikara anywhere.  
'And what hooves and fur, what are you rambling on abouWHOAT THE HELL!"

He saw cloven hooves and fur. He saw a lower body that was that of a faun.  
He jumped back in surprise, trying to run - only it was his own body. He fell with a loud thump, while the shadows around him started to whisper rather loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *announcer voice* Next in Burning Hooves, 'Kin of no King'! What can these shadows be? How will Rin react to that?! This is crazy!!  
> I'm having fun yes thank you.  
> Anyway, I hope you like it so far! ♪


	2. Kin of no King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here gooooes chapter 2! I hope you'll like it. :3
> 
> Chap3 will probably be a bit long and it will surely need quite a lot of work and time.
> 
> *special hug to the friend who gave me the first impression, and to the friend who helped me to correct some things*

The shadows were a manifestation of fear, the fear that roams through the sick depths of the hurt soul, lurking into steaming mists of denial - a desperate, hollow shield that powerless men brandish, seeking hope but finding none, imprisoned within the silence of their stinging hearts and the loud echoes of the void in their minds. But even the thickest mist can be ripped and breathed away. Fear claws its way through consciousness, plunging its cold fangs into the broken heart and glaring at the shivering soul, while the trembling soul, frozen as the crying hare against the snake’s sharp scales, contemplates it doing so.  
Trapped in the prison of the mind, the soul is alone atop the silence, gazing into the rising abyss - and the abyss gazes into the sobbing soul.

The very embodiment of that twisted reality that so many sorrowful souls face, such were the shadows. They were the mirror of one’s own distress, the inner demons that one would try to hide, be it from oneself or from others. They were the demons one would run away from, clinging to a mask of forced happiness, in a sad bet to make themselves believe in their lies, so that they would not stop and crumble to bits.

They were demons that were born from the weakness of the soul, which humanity had always had - though to varying degrees according to one’s story, for life has never shown fairness in that matter. Abused, bullied, isolated, overvalued, undervalued, stressed, hurt; people who had known or experienced dread and harsh events could have these dark thoughts plaguing them. It was only these people, that shadows’ powers could be effective against. Being fearful did not mean a shadow was possessing you; it meant that you could be vulnerable against them, for they had the power of calling one’s fear out.

However, they were not under the aegis of any demon king, hence could not freely move across Assiah, not to mention move into Gehenna at all.

It was between tall conifers and other old trees, which appeared to belong to something remote to mankind as we know it, it was into hills and hollows whose black recesses the sun had hardly ever lit, hidden as they were beneath the north-facing slope of prodigiously huge mountains, that laid the unsettling lands in which the shadows dwelt. Those unhallowed grounds were seldom treaded upon by men; it was a place humanity had chosen to keep forgotten. Rarely would someone wander into the menacing woods, rarely would someone wander back from it - still sane, that is. The shadows, even if they weren’t really the dreadful kind of demon that actively preyed on humans, still had their pride and iron-strong will not to let anyone walk through their hiding place unpunished. Whoever dared to soil the kingless creatures’ lands with their filthy feet, before long would have been trapped by the shadows. The demons would circle the intruder and call inner fear out, dangerously hissing by the intruder’s ear, slowly stifling him. They would cast the trespasser into his own kingdom of isolation and leave him at it. May his soul survive or be torn apart, that wasn’t a matter they were concerned with; the intruder would leave either way. However, if the person who entered their territory knew about them and their powers, or had the luck not to have any fear weighing him, they would have to resort to more traditional ways of disposing of someone - blunt killing.

And many humans did they kill bluntly.

In spite of that, the south-facing slopes of the mountains were overwhelmed with humans and villages and temples; it was quite an important spot for religion and exorcism, while nobody seemed to care about what was going on on the other side of the mountain. Throughout the times, people had forgotten all the persons who had disappeared or come back in state of shock, and only remained one rule.

A single, unique rule, which none was to transgress.

‘None is to go inside the forest’, Ryuuji let out in an uneven breath. He had fallen quite hard on his chest. With a hesitant hand he carefully tried to feel his ribs - luckily it seemed to be alright.

He scrambled to his feet and tried to analyze his surroundings - tall trees, the smell of wet grass mixed to that of the soft humus under his feet, and one laying figure covered in branches and leaves.

‘Shit - Moriyama? _Shiemi!_ ’ he yelled, running towards the girl, seizing her shoulder and turning the girl to her side. She was still breathing and he did not see any worrying injury - but once again, it wasn’t like he could really see anything at all.

He stayed like this for a while, focused on his unconscious friend. Or maybe, he thought, she was just sleeping, as she most certainly was exhausted from using so much of her familiar’s powers.

Anyway, they had to find Rin and make sure he was alright. The streak haired teen cautiously grabbed Shiemi and put her on his back, not without difficulty. He chose a random direction and started walking, advancing slowly in the stubborn silence of the forest.

After a while, the girl stirred and fluttered her eyes open. She weakly asked where they were; Ryuuji only knew that they had fallen on the other side of the mountain, in some creepy forest, and that they really, really should not be here.  
It took another while until Ryuuji accepted to let her down. Even though she said she was feeling good, he had been told never to immediately stand after having fainted, question of blood pressure and all; he usually stuck to what he had been taught.  
They climbed what appeared to be a small hill, hoping they could get to see where they were from there.  
They reached the top.

That’s when they heard it.

It was faint and distant.

It was Rin’s screaming.

*********

Rin was running through the woods, faster than he had ever run, his feet - hooves - loudly stomping on the ground. He was running from the unknown creatures, from the surprise and incomprehension at their nonsensical speech, and from himself. Panicking. Shocked. He could jump deftly above fallen trees. His longer tail, stronger legs, cloven hooves allowed him sharp turns and a better hold to the ground. He was able to outrun the shadows, though he could tell they were already slithering past the trees at a crazy speed.  
He was shaking them off, he was feeling more powerful than ever, but he could not get rid of an insidious, nasty feeling of utter vulnerability.

As he ran and ran, the shadows were hissing louder, hissing things between them, things Rin could not understand, as wind howled at his ears and fire cracked beneath him.

As he ran and ran, his flames were growing wilder, waltzing madly around him, while he madly waltzed around the pines, and for a moment he feared he would set the trees ablaze.

Were his flames really still under his control? He did not get to finish that thought. Suddenly, he was in front of a blurred wall of pearly-white mist.  
He hesitated for a split second, something ticking in his mind, telling him not to go; but he did.  
Before the slimy, tar-black shadows got to him, he stepped forward and soon was engulfed into damp whiteness.  
He heard their muffled cries, _'Don't!'_ , but soon they faded away and all he could see was pale, steaming mist. They had not followed him.  
The humidity invaded his lungs and he felt his throat get painfully constricted; he coughed to force air out and breathed normally again, only wheezing a bit.  
His flames flickered and retracted on themselves, reduced to the state of shivering glowing spheres - tamed, but dangerous still.  
He was now trotting, willing to put as much distance as possible between him and the unknown creatures. He needed to find a place to rest, and think, and get a proper look at himself, since as he trotted on, he could feel his hooves click-clacking onto the ground and vibrations would reverberate up his legs. He was barely bearing this invasion of new, weird sensations. He could not bring himself to lower his gaze, not yet.

After a while however, he felt a mute, dull pain numbing his head, and breathing had never felt so difficult.  
He winced at the itchy skin and sore bones. He staggered as he felt the ground tilting and skidding under him, as if he was falling, or rolling, or both.  
His flames were no stronger than a candle flame, but not spherical anymore; they were slightly spread around him, sticking to him, as if protecting or seeking protection.  
He was feeling awful, and his head was throbbing painfully.  
_'I need to get out'_ , he thought half-consciously, as he felt his focus drop; but he knew he had already dashed and was galloping away, his legs moving on their own.

*********

When Rin got back to his senses, he had freed himself out of the mist and the pain was almost gone; his skin, however, still felt itchy.  
He instantly remarked the soothing sound of water and, turning his head in the direction of the murmur, he saw a glimmering thin stream winding between pines and bushes, not far from where he was standing. It perfectly mirrored the underneath of the branches and the sky above.

Of all the things that had kept happening to him, he had not understood anything. He could let that pass.  
There was _one_ thing, however, that he _needed_ to be sure of.

The half-demon stood up, huffing, and dragged himself on the side of the stream.

He leant and gaped at the reflection. It confirmed what he had only feared so far - hoping it was but an illusion, no more than a trick of the senses. It was not.  
On the other side of the water mirror, what was staring at him, was a true, demonic, actual faun.  
He had his two horns of fire. He had his longer ears, only the edges had a bluish colour. He had his shining pupils, longer fangs, flames deployed across his body; only the flames were burning wilder, the fangs shone sharper, and his pupils were distorted, much like Shiro's eyes were when Satan possessed him.  
But those were minor changes, in comparison to his lower body.  
It was covered in a rougher, ironstone coloured fur, which was longer at the beginning of his tail. The legs were taller and of a changed shape. Higher heels, more muscular thighs and robust cloven hooves were giving him deer or goat-like legs. Also, whenever he lifted and clacked his hooves on the ground, they’d send tiny blue sparks everywhere.

He tried moving around a bit, hesitantly at first, then with more of a wary assurance. He slowly grew accustomed with it, jumping, dashing suddenly, even smacking trees with his hooves - his strength had really been enhanced with the changes, he pondered as he contemplated the deep, charred hoofprint dug into the bark. He was stronger and so were his flames - but why, oh why, did he still feel so _vulnerable_?

*********

‘Have we lost the young lord?’ a hissing voice echoed in the dark.

Shiemi violently grasped Ryuuji’s shoulder. He was about to protest when he saw the look of fright on Shiemi’s face, her finger put on her lips in a ‘hush!’ gesture.

‘I fear so, alas. He entered the white mist and as much as I wished to, I could not have followed him, lest you-know-what’, another voice hissed back, with a tinge of regret in his voice.

Ryuuji paled, for the voices were nowhere near human-like or reassuring. He and Shiemi quickly crouched down, tense, looking for whatever was speaking.  
Squinting and forcing her eyes to discern anything in the darkness, Shiemi softly gasped - immense jet-black shapes were getting closer and closer, engulfing the ground in their undescriptible darkness.  
Without warning, another great black snake-like shape emerged from the ground a few feets away from the two exorcists in training and slithered towards the group.

‘Fear not, my brethren’, it sweetly sibilated, ‘for it is our mighty young master whom we are speaking about. He will be more than able to endure that wretched mist. He will eventually get out of it before it is too late.  
Before he does however, we have to ready ourselves so that he does not flee again. It is us who will bring lord Okumura back to his senses!’

‘Rin?’ Shiemi whispered.

‘We forest shadows, at long last, we shall be one King’s kin! To the ninth!’

‘To the ninth!’ They cheered happily, filling the forest with loud hisses and growls.

‘Oh my god, Rin! We have to do something, Su… Suguro-kun?’  
Without warning her, Suguro had already moved several steps further, still crouched, swiftly walking away. He paused when he heard the girl; with a strong look of determination, he merely gestured for Shiemi to quickly follow him - he intended to go fetch Okumura before these sticky shadows did.

However, Shiemi did not move. She was stunned by his behaviour. In spite of the danger, before even concerting with her, he had gone and started walking away - she was feeling upset. Left apart. Two poor humans left on their frail own in an unknown forest, who could not even see where they put their feet - oh, such a splendid idea it was, to split up when there were _demons_ right behind them!  
‘Branches!’ she angrily hissed. ‘You’ll walk on branches!’

‘Huh?’ Ryuuji was startled by his usually-so-calm friend’s sudden outburst. He looked around, surprised, thinking he might not have been careful enough; however he saw no reason for her flare-up. ‘I’m careful about the branches’, he whispered back, ‘so follow me and don’t speak so loudly or it will be worse than a few bran-’

‘Don’t you tell me what to do!’ she bit back, voice dangerously rising, hands shaking. ‘Don’t you _ever_ think about telling me what to do like I’m some useless exorcist to use when useful and throw when useless! When I am _always_ weak and useless and… and…’ Her voice shivered, on the verge of breaking.

Her fists were clenched and she had gotten up, throwing him a revengeful, toxic look; a glance informed Ryuuji that the shadows were still here, still unaware of the two’s presence. He took a few nervous steps towards her, softly speaking to her, trying to get her to calm down. _Must be because of Rin’_ , he had that distant thought, _‘must have snapped from worrying too much.’_  
He told her that it would be alright, that she only had to believe in him.  
But she refused to, crying and yelling things to him, things that she had weighing her heart and pierced Ryuuji's one.  
And he felt oh so unnerved.  
He had gotten to Shiemi’s level but he still could not see why she was angry and crying.  
Somehow it remembered him of how nobody had trusted him, how he had been laughed at for planning on killing Satan.

Shiemi was yelling her resentment and own lack of confidence out, but she knew she was not meaning to. She did feel weak, when the others could jump to one’s rescue without any hesitation. She did feel inferior, when she couldn’t even speak her mind herself. But why would she snap when it was no time to, when they had to escape the demons?

Ryuuji was staring at her, prostrated by the memory of the others’ laughs, but he knew it was not the same. He did feel bad, when people judged him without knowing and he couldn’t react. He did feel hurt, when she refused to trust him like the others did. But why would he stay still when it was no time to, when they had to escape the demons?

Behind them a voice sneered.

‘My, my. It would seem we caught two humans...’

Blackness engulfed the forest.  
Only remained countless pairs of glaring, scorning eyes. Only remained their uncontrollable sobs and shivers as fear invaded them.

Maybe they had fallen to the ground.

Maybe they were desperately calling for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *deep breath* Next in Burning Hooves, That Which Reveals! Ryuuji and Shiemi are in danger! Where are you, Rin?! Now's not the time to disappear!!  
> ______
> 
> I had a lot of fun playing with stylistic devices. If I knew how to pronounce words better (English isn't my native language) I'd be able to play on sounds. Oughta work on that.  
> Also I forced myself to make a few contractions here and there so that it would be less heavy.  
> Also also I borrowed two things from Lovecraft, whose writing never ceases to amaze me. The first one comes from Dagon, please have the full sentence: 'But I think my horror was greater when I gained the summit of the mound and looked down the other side into an immeasurable pit or canyon, whose black recesses the moon had not yet soared high enough to illumine'. However I don't remember where I took the other one ('remote to mankind as we know it'). t_t  
> Anyway.  
> I'm paying my respects in my own way and I could not decently borrow something without telling.
> 
> *that was some long end "note"*


	3. That Which Reveals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *jumps everywhere* Chap3 is out aaaaah. Please forgive the tiny hint of Ryuuji/Rin fluff, I could't resist. I suppose I'll have to update the tags. However, I don't think it will go further than mere hints. The hintest of hintey hints, in all hintness!  
> Also, making Shiemi talk is hella difficult?! I'm doing my best not let her be totally forgotten, but I swear, she's so _reserved_ , it's hard not to make her seem out of character when she starts speaking. :c
> 
> Anyway! Enjoy your reading!
> 
>  
> 
> EDIT: I've been thinking... should I update the rating to "graphic depiction of violence"? Is it graphic or not? Where's the line? Already behind me or I've still got time until I cross it?

A snickering voice broke through the tenebrous forest.

_‘Humans, my poor humans, how pitiful are you right now._

_It is lamentable that you had to enter our lands at such a time, and lamented it is._

_Oh, young damsel, you would do well sparing me your glaring; it is naughty, when the object of your ire is also the reason for your fear. Instead, I'd recommend you to stay idle as the lad does – if you want to avoid definite death, that is._

_Hush, do not try to speak – I can fathom what is it you wish to voice._  
_You are suffering, are you not?_  
_Are we to blame for that? Most certainly yes. We are the ones who made that veil of despair fall onto you. We are the ones who severed the chains of denial that were holding it; we are the ones who lifted the masks you so lovingly crafted and hung on it. There is no doubt to have about that – you approached us and we crushed that embargo on the darkness within you.  
Are we to blame for that? How could we? You approached us and that led you to crush yourself. That sinister veil which pulses against your weak self, it has been manufactured with components of your very mind. It is a part of you, as much as you reject it. It is not something you can free yourself from, as much as you repudiate it._

_It is your fear. It is your past._

_It's scary, it makes you feel anxious, it's lonesome, it makes you cringe, it's sad, it makes you fear for the future. Or it makes you feel regretful, or it's haunting, or it keeps you awake at night, or it’s unsayable. Pick your torment; surely it's among these._

_It's excruciating, is it not? To suddenly revive all that you had never meant to happen, all that you had never wished to endure. To suddenly replace the ebb and tide of anxiety or sadness with a typhoon of despair and fear._

_How pitiful are you indeed._

_Sadly, you cannot ignore it. So embrace it, your past, your doom, greet the menace. Howl in despair if you want. Teach the trees you looked upon your song of fear. You may run if you can, you may crawl on the ground if you must._

_We allow that, for we know how futile it is.’_

*********

Everything was silent. Only the childish whisper of water was rising through the immobility in the air, and the half-demon's senses picked that one thing; he heard his friends' call. And he felt his ears jerk up; he felt his flames shiver; he felt a cold knot form in his stomach.  
Once more, Rin’s legs had moved on their own.  
Once more, he was galloping through the forest at an inhuman speed.  
He was running past the trees again, nearing the wall of mist, which was menacingly swirling at the corner of his vision. He was slipping on the damp ground but he kept on, propelled by a weird frenzy. Pine needles were flying under him as he crashed through bushes and ferns.  
He heard hisses.

_'If you want to fight, why are you waiting... So silent?'_

He immediately followed the sound, leaving the mist behind him as he jumped on rocks and landed on a slanting bed of moss; leaves and moths flew around him.

_'If everything is fine for you, why are you stumbling... So silent?'_

He finally caught glimpse of the creatures.  
Without thinking he slammed his hooves on the ground and felt them ignite. He put his weight on his legs and jumped. The two hooves violently hit the limp body of one of the demons. The shadow fell on his side and rolled, whining, while a chaos of blue sparks invaded the air. Rin landed on his four limbs, an arc of smoke following him as pine needles crackled and flared to flying ashes. Breathing and huffing through the hot, acrid air, he let a guttural growl out. He focused back on the shadows and tensed. Tail brushing against the ground and setting more needles ablaze, he prepared to jump – locking onto his next target.

He had seen steam coming from the whining shadow, from where he had hit him.

He’d kill that one.

He would kill it off.

Ground fizzled as robust hooves dug into it; pine needles became vivid white embers as heat radiated from the dashing shape.  
A sour trail of ashes followed him and got blown away when the faun made contact in a loud roar. Prodigious gusts of scorching air slashed against everything around; branches bent and cracked, and all the surrounding shadows were thrown backwards. Under him, the shape shrieked and hit the ground.  
At the corner of his vision, he caught sight of Ryuuji and Shiemi.  
_Here they were!_  
They were lifting their arms, trying to protect themselves, as they were violently sent against thorny bushes.  
_What sent them flying like that?_  
He lowered his gaze to the shivering, whimpering mass under him. A black, tar-like substance was seeping from a hole and flowing to the ground.  
_Is that blood?_  
His legs were covered in a black clot. He looked around, dazed.  
_I did that..._  
Flames and smoke were invading the forest. He fell to his knees.  
_I lost control once again._  
Several meters away, the shadows stirred, opened their eyes; as they were struggling to stand up, furious hisses rose and filled the air.  
_I can't control my flames. I never can._  
The shadows were up and enraged. Their glowering eyes scanned through the smoke, looking for their opponent.  
_Never will._  
Under him, the shadow lift his head weakly and opened his mouth; viscous, jet-black blood flowed through his fangs. It tried to speak; only let a burbling gargle out.  
_I'm a monster._  
A sob escaped Rin's lips; instantly, all the eyes were riveted towards his direction and the shadows curled on themselves, ready to attack.  
_A demon…._  
The bleeding creature gurgled in a raspy voice: 'Don't…'  
_Better off dead..._

The shadows jumped through the smoke, fangs bared.

'Don't – it's the – LORD!' It uttered in a broken gargle, as a burst of dark bubbles rolled from the corners of its mouth.  
Surprised, the other shadows stopped dead right in front of Rin, fangs shining above his head. As they looked down, a frightened glint of recognition ran accross their eyes.  
Below them, more droplets of blood splattered through the smoke and in the ashes; black streams described meanders around the agonizing body. The creature let a faint sigh of relief out. Its head heavily collapsed on the ground, motionless.

*********

When Ryuuji and Shiemi came round, they first noticed the smoke that assaulted their noses and lungs. Hissing with pain, they untangled themselves from the thorns, massaging their painful heads and scratched arms. They sat up, shooing some moths away, each taking a look at themselves and at the other. Their thoughts were normal again.  
Then, they saw the group of shadows, all a few feet away from them, talking with hasty voices to what appeared to be…  
'Rin?'  
'A faun?'

The shadows were deeply bowing to the half-demon, talking about absolute remorse and regret.  
'We didn't know that you had returned, we were calling fear out the two human intruders, so consequently your Highness also… but I'm not trying to justify ourselves!…'  
Below them was Rin, sat in ashes and looking stunned – he was tentatively nudging at a still, limp mass, which was laying into a shallow puddle of a matt, slimy substance.  
'Did I kill…' he asked in a weak voice.  
'Ah – yes. You do not have to bother yourself with that.'  
'It saved me.'  
'...When we, we were all attacking your mind. Though please believe us on the fact that it was not our intention to do, not in the sligh-'  
'But it saved me!' he protested and his voice came out as a strangled bleat. He immediately shut his mouth, tears sparkling in his eyes.  
'And prevented us from committing a tragic, barbarous, horrendous sin. But', the shadow continued with an overly patient -yet still remorseful- tone, 'you most certainly were not conscious of your acts. When fear is called out, well… humans and creatures of Assiah in general just fall on the ground', it began to explain. As it talked, behind them, Shiemi and Ryuuji had stood up and were keeping themselves at a reasonable distance, observing the scene, eyes wide. 'They become utterly defenceless. Demons, however, attack. Their violent instincts take over and they start chasing the source of their torment. Which is to say, us.'

'So you lot are the reasons we… we just remembered bad stuff?' Ryuuji angrily shouted across to them, not feeling scared any more, yet Shiemi flinched from surprise. However, this time, she followed Ryuuji's lead.  
'And… and Rin too?' she asked with remnants of a fearful composure.

Rin turned to face them, a mixture of surprise and sincere relief dawning on his traits. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut by the shadows' growls.

'Oh, _humans_ , now don't you dare associate the young lord with the likes of you – we should have killed you off from the very beginning!'

They menacingly slithered towards them, hissing, determined to finish them off. Rin tried to grab one of them but stumbled upon the corpse of the deceased shadow; he plashed into the sticky puddle and let a panicked, bleat-like yelp out.  
One of the creatures slid a glance towards the faun. 'Do not worry, your Evilness. It will all be for the best.'  
Rin quickly fumbled to his feet and yelled at the shadows not to approach them. The two young exorcists took a step backward, ready to run if they got too near.  
'It is clearly your human heart that is speaking, young lord. Bear no doubt and let us free you from your chains.'  
Rin was desperately looking for a way to convince them not to attack, that he was who he was and did not have a hidden heart or anything of the sort.  
'They're not chains! They're my allies and they've saved me countless times before! So – they should be your allies too!'  
He met Ryuuji's eyes and the young Aria shook his head lightly – _not going to work_. He mouthed something – _order. Flames._  
'Ugh, my lord, you do not realize, but _we_ do – they're the reason your demonic self cannot express its evilness. It's that human heart which prevents you from totally ascending into a fully fledged, powerful demon king! Therefore, we shall -'

'I WON'T ALLOW!' he shouted, whacking the ground with his left hoof, unleashing a chaos of blue flames all around him.  
Shiemi and Ryuuji just looked at the burning hooves, stunned and mouth agape.  
The demons stopped, startled. However, they had a scornful look as they watched him searching his words.

'You… You are not to act without my consent', he articulated, throat a bit dry, but still unleashing more flames – after all, they were the proof he was a demon, so they could help him convince the shadows.  
'You are not to kill anyone without my consent' he continued, rising his chin. Ryuuji gave him a discreet thumbs up.  
'I am the Devil's son and I have the blue flames', he said and his flames burnt more fiercely as an emphasis, 'and only I get to decide who's my enemy, who's my ally.'

He was getting tired, but the shadows were actually listening, back to a more respectful stance.

'And I...' Rin thought quickly – maybe he would be more convincing if he tried to speak as fancily as them. He tried to remember the words that he was looking for, and had a distant memory come to him.  
'And I, Rin Okumura, tenth, no, ninth Prince of Gehenna, I, uh, doom these two humans… I doom them good. Worthy of my flame and all.'  
There was a moment of silence and Rin's mind went blank. The half-demon had that unshakable, ominous feeling that his words had not matched his intentions.

'You doom them good, is that what you said, young lord?' a shadow asked, sneering.

'Er... Yes?' he answered stupidly, but the words seemed void – and his head was hurting again. He repeated the sentence again and again in his mind, looking for the error he knew he had made, a lingering doubt stabbing him.  
The shadows slowly moved forward, slithering through the ashes with a muffled and much satisfied hiss.  
'We heard your call, young master, and so shall we answer', one shadow declaimed, haughtily staring at the two pitiful humans.  
'For having thought your hateful human heart could have dominated your true, demon heart, please forgive us, our lord', another continued.

'R-Rin?' the fear in Shiemi's little voice pierced his heart.

'It would appear that your true self is still fighting', a third respectfully hissed, 'even asking for these two's demise. A clever move, if I may say so, although I am unworthy of judging your divine actions; but it is my belief indeed that these two's presence strengthens your human heart.'

'Okumura, you... No wait, who are you? You're not that stupid lazy jackass!' Ryuuji shouted. Even him had that frightened tone, it made Rin feel frankly bad, but everything seemed to be distant, he couldn't understand what was going on. Not to mention that he actually did not understand half of the words used by the shadows…

'Silence, scoundrel!' the biggest shadow angrily roared, 'who do you think you are, addressing our mighty lord with such a disrespectful tone? Our young master has asked for your death, and so shall you die, before you utter any more heretic words with that...'

'Wait, what?' Rin suddenly asked, jerking his head up; at the sudden movement, pain seared through his brains, making him flinch.

'...filthy mouth of yours' it continued, between a growl and a very fearsome hiss, not having heard Rin's question.  
'My lord, these lowly creatures are by no mean worthy of dying by your blue flame, please do allow me to-' it abruptly stopped, finally noticing that Rin had been speaking to him. Horrified, its size dramatically shrunk. 'Ohmylordforgiveme I-I didn't...!'

'Never mind that! What did you say that I said?'  
'Er, well, you kind of ordered their demise and...'  
'Understandable words please.'  
'You... You asked for their death?' the shadow said, dumbstruck.

'I NEVER SAID THAT?!' Rin exploded, wide-eyed, emitting a single blue flash.

'B-but, my lord you did, y-you said that you doomed them good, and while it's stylistically not very classy doesn't it mean that?...' The shadow was floundering, panicked.  
'No! I just wanted to say that I thought they were good humans, that's all! Why the heck would I want their death?!'

The shadows were looking dumbly at him.

'Rin, you...' Shiemi's voice timidly raised, 'you meant "deem", didn't you? You deem us good?'

'What, is that how you say it? Not "doom"?'

They all went silent.

'Dude,' Ryuuji said, walking towards Rin and passing between the shadows as if they weren't here.  
The Aria stopped in front of him and glared, hands trembling from the scare; the half-demon swallowed anxiously.  
Without warning, Ryuuji headbutted him.  
'DON'T USE WORDS IF YOU DON'T KNOW THEM!'

The shadows started, outraged at his hitting Rin, while Shiemi ran between him and Ryuuji, squealing something about him being unfair and the two words not being much used; and it would have turned into a nasty brawl if they hadn't all been stopped by Rin's cry of suffering. It was revealing a pain much worse than what a mere headbutt would cause.

*********

Rin didn't remember having fallen to the ground. Instead of pine needles, this time, he was tasting dry ashes. He couldn't bring himself to spit the powdery cinders out, though, because of his head aching like rarely it had ever ached before; a dull pain was twisting in his head, clawing at the back of his eyes whenever he opened them and vibrating at each sound he'd hear. The voices of the others were reverberating into his skull, deafening. Clenched fists plunged into the soft soot as he muttered for whoever was speaking to just shut up.  
A wary silence submerged the forest. His ears were still buzzing, but the pain was gradually ebbing away. He sighed and sluggishly sat up, eyes still closed.  
Someone asked him if he was fine; he could not say. He felt a big cold hand brush hesitantly against his forehead; he indulged in the coolness, pressing his head into the palm. He breathed through parted lips and, under the watchful eyes of humans and demons alike, gathered his words.  
'I – it's a bit like when I was in the mist', he waved his hand dismissively. In a few monotone sentences, he explained to his friends how he entered a mist and the pain he felt then. 'And it hurt like hell but, well, I'm not in the mist any more so I don't know…'  
The hand left his head and he reflexively peeped through partially open eyelids – Ryuuji's cheeks had gone rosy and he was not looking at him in the eyes. He was still frowning from concern, however.  
Rin cleared his throat and went on.  
'Also, since I woke up as a… as… in that form', he spat, gesturing at his legs and cloven hooves, 'I've been feeling, I dunno… weak? Well, not exactly weak 'cause I feel stronger, but…'  
'Vulnerable?' a shadow offered him. It had a fearful look in its eyes, as if it knew.  
'That's it! Vulnerable.'  
'The feeling of vulnerability is normal, young lord. It's the pain that's not…'  
'Huh?'  
'How is that normal?' Shiemi suddenly asked. 'I-I mean, the fact he's feeling vulnerable… why is that?'  
The shadow clicked its tongue at her, annoyed to have to answer _her_.  
'That is due to the fact that the young master has his revealed form. But that should not be your main worry – hark, my lord. Please listen carefully and until the end. I'm going to ask you something very rude, for no proper gentle-demon would nonchalantly answer that, but… it is important, terribly so.'  
It paused, full of apprehension, waiting for the faun to give a sign of approval. Rin gulped air and gave a nod.

'Where is your demon heart?'

Ryuuji almost snapped – almost yelled to the shadow to drop the two-hearts thing. Only before that, he saw the rigid look on Rin's face.

'In… my sword', Rin answered with a low voice. Mephisto had told him that his sword, Kurikara, was harbouring his demon heart – hence he could bring his flames back simply by unsheathing the sword, which he was never to lose. Which he had.  
'Wait, you've really got a demon heart? And Kurikara's holding that demon heart?' Ryuuji let out in a dumbfounded voice.  
'But where is your sword, then? Now that you say it, I haven't seen it anywhere after the bird caught you and the blade', Shiemi said, worried.

The shadows started to hiss between them.  
'My, oh my.'  
'Could it be?'  
'That would be dramatic...'  
'But I fear that's the case…'

One advanced from the group, hesitated, then spoke.  
'My lord… do you know of the white mist?'  
'The foggy thing? I know it hurts.'  
'Yes, but more than that.'  
The three exorcists in training gave a perplexed look.  
‘Well… There is, in the very middle of the valley, an eternal spring of Holy Water. Legends say that it used to be a normal source, if not slightly putrescent, and that King Amaimon’s kin dwelt there.  
However, some of the exorcists of yore heard of it. They came from the other side to purify everything. Through days and days of chants and prayers, they did manage to purify it, and it became a spring of Holy Water…’  
‘Alright, but what has it to do with Kurikara?’ Ryuuji asked impatiently.  
‘...and the source spreads a white holy mist which prevents us from approaching’, the shadow kept on explaining, unperturbed. ‘The mist burns us and reveals our true shape – for us shadows, this means immediate demi… death’, it corrected itself, sliding a glance towards Rin. 

‘Holy Water _reveals_ and purifies.’

Its words echoed loudly through the forest, full of a deep meaning.

‘And this, young lord, this here, is your _revealed_ form – that of a fire faun.’

Rin sharply gasped for air, beginning to understand, while Ryuuji and Shiemi only frowned their eyebrows, looking for the link.

‘I do believe that you are not ignorant of the fact that, for a King to take their true form, hence accessing to their whole power, they have to _reveal their heart_ , right? And it is this sword of yours, Kurikara your chickenhead friend named it, that harvests your demonic heart… right?

So, my lord, your sword is unquestionably there, and if it stays there any longer you will be in great danger.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *grabs the mic* Next in Burning Hooves, 'Greet the Menace'! So many revelations! No bad pun was intended!! Are things going to turn nasty?!
> 
> (Meanwhile at the temple, Yukio and Shima are looking at the clock, thinking they really should go look for them...)
> 
> ______
> 
> "If you wanna fight, why're you waiting?... / If everything's fine for you, why're you stumbling... so silent?"  
> These two pearls come from Zack Hemsey's song So Silent. Also the title of the next chapter has been freely inspired in all freedom and with a very free way freed of any restraint by his song Greeting the Menace. No, that's not plagiarism: look, the tense's not the same.
> 
> "DON'T USE WORDS IF YOU DON'T KNOW THEM!"  
> Also my daily reminder *embarassed cough*  
> Morale of this chapter: words are important yet tricky; one should be careful not to rely too much on them, especially since they're not the only aspect of speech. Your stance plays a major part, too!  
> That was Granny Lazhu's daily piece of advice, thank you for your attention. Now go outside catch some Pokemons.
> 
> (LongNote™ strikes again)


End file.
